Comparison of Density Estimation Methods of Varroa destructor Inside the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colony

Honey bees face significant threats from ectoparasitic mites such as Varroa destructor, which impair colony health and contribute to widespread losses. Accurate monitoring of mite populations is critical for timely and effective management. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a novel, non-invasive sugar dusting test as a diagnostic tool for detecting mite infestations, and compared its performance with sugar shaking, brood uncapping, and sticky board. Field monitoring of Varroa mites was conducted during summer of 2024. The RSE values indicated higher precision for sugar shaking (0.100) and sticky board (0.108), whereas sugar dusting showed the highest ratio (0.132), reflected greater variability. Nevertheless, the sugar dusting method exhibited a moderate to strong correlations with brood uncapping and sticky board results, reflecting colony-level mite density trends. These findings suggest that sugar dusting can serve as a practical monitoring tool for routine field surveillance with minimal time investment and colony disturbance, and as a valuable component of integrated Varroa management programs in beekeeping.